Heath Rada
Though he’s not sure he actually had the authority to do so, the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church (USA) has issued a “Call to the Church” declaring that “trust has been lost in our denomination — and for anything significant to be accomplished we must find ways for that trust to be restored.” He called the need for reform “urgent.”
During his report to the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board on Wednesday, PCUSA Moderator Heath Rada said that ” Mid-level judicatories, missions and ministries across the church, individual members, pastors, educators and financial donors, church administrators, staff and elected leaders of the national church share a common feeling that the current understanding of who we are as a denomination — as well as our system of organizational operatives for executing our initiatives — are not working anymore. The need for reform is urgent.”
A Kairos moment for the PCUSA?
From his interactions with people across the denomination, Rada distilled the issues down to four and then highlighted the urgency to act:
- “There is a profound and rapid change in the world around us that has put the Church’s relevance (not just PCUSA but the entire Church) in question in ways we have not seen in our lifetime.
- “Not having a permanent current CEO in our Presbyterian Mission Agency, and having a Stated Clerk who is not going to seek reelection, has offered us a Kairos moment which is unique.
- “We are indeed facing a crises where there is lack of trust across the church. This is manifested in many ways but includes – departing congregations, confused members concerning who we are as the PCUSA, disinterested local sessions who could care less about what is happening in the national church and congregations when it comes to national church initiatives (unless they are controversial) struggling mid-councils, frustrated and anxious staff in our national offices, many of whom are wary and disillusioned, and financial supporters who are seeking other ways than through our denomination to share their money.
- “Our theological institutions, who have provided a foundational element of our denomination historically, are also victims of this unrest and the ‘old models’ of seminary education being handled in the ways of the past by the same deliverers is under scrutiny.
“We must act to remedy some of these matters and we must do so with haste. I hear loudly and clearly that we do not have the luxury of time to discern and debate at length,” Rada said.
A disconnected connectionalism
Rada spoke of a disconnect between what PCUSA members feel is happening at the national, synod and presbytery levels. “On one hand I see our organizational leadership trying to do what we, through our General Assembly, have directed … But many people across the Church see something else. They believe that ‘Louisville’ is out of touch with them and that there is not an effective system in place for us to ‘be the church.'”
He spoke highly of the PCUSA staff, saying that their passion and commitment to service is a gift and strength. He also reiterated the big tent philosophy of the PCUSA as a place for everyone. “We need to rethink what we are asking our leadership to be and do and to develop a system that works for all of us, and where we affirm that God’s house, and Christ’s table, is large enough for all of us who call ourselves Presbyterians to participate as we seek to do the work of the Kingdom.”
Rada said that his “Call to the Church” doesn’t include any answers, “but is more a naming of reality, a speaking of the truth in love, a call to change.”
Is the PCUSA willing, he asked, “to risk the comfort and in some ways the traditions of our past in order to accept our place in a resurrected church?”
Moving out of a repeatedly remodeled house
As a 71-year-old, Rada said those traditions are “very much embedded” in him.
He used the analogy of living in a house that had been added onto several times. To get from one room to another, you had to go outside, walk upstairs, reenter, go downstairs and pass through several other rooms.
“This seems ridiculous,” he said, “but as I have been listening, it seems consistent with what many believe is the current house we live in as a denomination. So we need to move. We need to sort through and decide what to retain and what to give away. We are functioning with a structure and approach that was designed for a church 30 years ago, but is no longer relevant. It is time for us to awaken to the realities of who we are as a denomination in the 21st Century.”
Rada did not make specific suggestions nor did he say if the move he was alluding to should include a physical relocation from The Presbyterian Center in Louisville, KY.
What he did was ask several questions:
- “What might it mean for us to hit the reset button for a new church start?
- “What might it mean for us to practice Sabbath, and engage in a spiritual discipline for the church in order to discern our way?
- “Can we find a way to affirm a theological basis for who we are and who we are to be, one that embraces our uniqueness and our differences, and in that context establish the priorities for the church?
- “And once we settle on priorities, can we implement an organizational network that can help us carry it out?
A major overhaul is not only being called for, Rada said, “it is needed… We must take bold and immediate steps, and for us Presbyterians who love to discern and debate, it is essential that a resolution be found quickly.”
Rada said that the denomination can’t wait for the 2016 General Assembly to appoint a committee to study the issue for two years and bring the 2018 General Assembly a recommendation that would take two more years to implement.
“The people in the pews — as well as the ongoing health of our organization and our staff — says we cannot wait for four years to get this resolved. The need is immediate.”
So the denomination has a polity that says the General Assembly is the official place to implement change, however, the church is saying it cannot wait. Rada said that the polity has become like a prison and he hopes to set the church free to discern in a new way.
Hearing the will of God through PCUSA members
Rada asked and then answered his own question, “Is there any way to move this forward?”
“From my perspective it seems appropriate that the Committee on the Office of the General Assembly (COGA)help us on the first stage of this effort.”
COGA is the agency that is in charge of planning and implementing the General Assembly meetings that are held every other year.
Rada said that he has met with member of COGA and “they are already seeking to address this need. They see that they must address it in an organized but urgent way, with essential networking and information gathering from other agencies and bodies of the denomination.”
There is concern in the denomination, he said, that if one agency takes the lead in this, that they make take control to make sure that the outcome serves their own best interests. There “is a general suspicion and unrest with our organization,” Rada said.
“When COGA discussed tackling this issue, they recognized that their position needed to be clear and that any bias or preferred outcome from them should not have any more influence than those of other bodies. I am convinced that they believe this and will utilize objective processes and procedures including resources outside of our denomination who can help us hear the will of God through our membership.”
Suggested next steps for transparent inclusive process
So what steps should the PCUSA take now? Rada suggested several
- “Someone has to take a lead,” he said. “I am asking that the denomination affirm and actively participate in the COGA process which is getting ready to be unveiled and which will undertake the massive task of assessing the church’s will … I am asking that we trust this process unless, as it is implemented, we find reason not to do so.”
- “I ask our church members, local sessions, Middle Governing bodies, advocacy groups, agency boards, institutional members, people who have felt disenfranchised, people from different theological positions and different cultural and racial backgrounds, staff members at the local and national levels, and all others who care about our denomination to participate actively and expeditiously in order that we might gather data which can help our Portland General Assembly next June to make informed and healthy decisions about our future.”
- “I intend to start a series of ‘Moderator Chats’ … I propose that we have scheduled talk back sessions with the moderator and vice moderator, as well as other people in leadership positions in the church, where various groups of our denomination will be able to share visions, ideas and hopes so that we might rebuild trust and move forward.
- “I call on the help of seminaries, presbyteries, church related colleges, camp and conference centers to work together, host, sponsor and participate in regional gatherings with commissioners elected to the 222nd General Assembly as well as other interested Presbyterians, concerning ways to prioritize our work and how to begin to develop our priorities as well as begin a process to develop an organizational system for the reformed PCUSA which is both feasible and adequate. Such a plan should be coordinated with COGA as they unveil their plans for study and feedback.”
- “I ask that we enlist the assistance of our communications departments in each agency to assist in advocating participation and sharing the results of this effort. Communication is essential and a key element in restoring trust. This effort must be completely transparent and inclusive.”
Finding funding and facilitators who have “no agendas”
When discussing his “Call to the Church” during Wednesday morning’s PMAB executive committee meeting, Rada was questioned about the concept of holding regional gatherings for General Assembly commissioners — before the assembly itself convenes. At this time, he said, we are working on ways to fund the meetings. He also spoke of the need of facilitators for the gatherings that “have no agendas.”
Rada also spoke of the possibility of having a full day or more at General Assembly focused solely on “how to move the denomination forward.”
In his call, Rada said that he firmly believes that “we need to act, and to act now and I believe that the platform afforded the moderator affirms — or even demands — that I extend this call and challenge. We must make immediate decisions which will allow the 222nd Assembly in Portland to be able to deal realistically with many of the issues before us so they can act, not just appoint study commissions or refer this to ongoing committees. From all across the Church our membership has told me we do not have that luxury.”
The Moderator’s call was received with a standing ovation but no plans to implement or realize the call were formally acted upon by the PMAB during its meeting.
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Well, regarding point #3 under “Kairos” section, at least sessions could could care less. I’d really be troubled if they couldn’t care less.
Blah, blah, blah. Rada is talking to a corpse.
What the heck did he just say? There is not one specific in what he said about the need for change in solving the problem of what he deems to be the irrelevance of the church and how out of step we all are. (Say, wasn’t that carpenter guy out of step with what was going on in society, too?) All I hear here is “fill the pews and change the church at any expense” because modern society can’t relate. Still, what is he talking about factually?
“(Rada) also reiterated the big tent philosophy of the PCUSA as a place for everyone.”
The proverbial “tent” is not so “big” as Heath Rada supposes it is. It no longer covers the ground on which Evangelicals are standing, leaving us to seek new tents, such as the ECO, the EPC, or the PCA.
Loss of trust is a major issue. From the recent deceitful behavior such as the unconstitutional AI passed at the GA to the siphoning off $100,000 for separate 501c3 set up in CA, to “blackballed” seminary professor subsequently fired, what’s next? Given the political progressives are in power, and Gradye Parsons saw the handwriting on the wall, THE PCUSA is the addict that has to hit bottom before recovery can commence; not there yet. Trust is something that is EARNED. Full REFORMATION required. Nothing short of adoption of the five SOLA’s at Portland GA would be a start. We all know that “ain’t gonna happen.” Last one out of Louisville please turn out the lights.
The Church of Jesus Christ is doing just fine, thank you. She is seeking the leading of the Holy Spirit, engaged in mission and ministry, and successfully weathering all of the storms that are coming her way. Facing the future, she is full of confidence because her hope is in God. It is the bureaucratic organization known as the PCUSA that is in crisis. I’m afraid that William is right, Heath Rada is talking to a corpse. The arms and legs may still twitch a bit every now and then, but the spark of life has gone out of it never to return.
So are you when you are presenting the Gospel to an unbeliever.
“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ.” (Eph. 2.4-5)
“For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.” (I Cor. 1.21)
The PCUSA has two flames. One is fanned by our Reformed heritage, which requires ongoing adjustments in order to remain obedient to the Word of God. The other is fanned by change, which continues to re-form or evolve in order to accommodate cultural influences.
Rada’s third question is perhaps the most important: “Can we find a theological basis for who we are…?” Having a big tent is great, but not having theological coherence in leadership at all levels is disastrous… And unfortunately our inclusiveness may be what is destroying us. Sessions cannot function well when there is no theological consensus on what it means to be Presbyterian, much less an entire denomination.
The first flame has been extinguished, and the second replaced by a flame that seeks to conform the PC(USA) to the ways of the world, contrary to the Word of God (Rom. 12.2), rather than to speak God’s unchanging Truth to a changing world.
Change is in the air. In what direction will this change take us? Where is God calling us to go now? What are we to do? What is the Lord’s purpose for us? I wonder.
It’s an appropriate English idiom
http://blog.dictionary.com/could-care-less/
ELAINE: He said, “Why would Jerry bring anything?”
JERRY: Alright, but let me ask you this question.
ELAINE: What?
JERRY: Which word did he emphasize? Did he say, “Why would Jerry bring anything?” or, “Why would Jerry bring anything?” You emphasize “Jerry” or “bring.”
ELAINE: I think he emphasized “would.”
This is how progressives operate. They fulfill their agenda then wring their hands and call for trust and unity with those whose views they have crushed. What fellowship can light have with darkness?
Rada is shadow boxing. He has not been bold enough to name the issue which is causing the PCUSA to falter and suffer heavy losses in number of members and churches. The issue is ordination of practicing homosexuals (Amendment 10A) and the recognition of same-sex marriages. To use his analogy of a house with many remodels, it’s like a homeowner entering his own house to discover someone has moved in uninvited, someone with distasteful habits who expects the homeowner to accept him and share his home with him.
The pcusa has no message since giving up the authority of the Holy Bible outlined in the Confession of 1967, and the losses have been massive and will continue until the end consumes the pcusa.
Heath Radda does not get at the real reasons for a lack of trust.
You cannot trust a tent that is pitched on sinking sand where every wave of doctrine will wash that tent out.
I’ve seen enough institutional organizational change: a complete new FOG, a scruple or the setting aside of any of the Ten ordination questions (PUP),
a GA and OGA that completely overlooked the rules of the BOO in putting forth their agenda. Furthermore, the changes have removed any Scriptrual foundations to marriage, morality or understanding of God’s call to obedience for our own good. The real lack of trust is born out when Executives and leaders at Presbytery (with the blessing of national leaders) orchestrate who goes to the GA supporting their agenda rather than the discerned will of God by majority vote in that Presbytery. Then they say this is done because of Conscience, but the conscience is NOT CAPTIVE TO THE WORD OF GOD.
Radda sounds like Habbakkuk, who cried for help and God’s answer was
allowing the Babylonians to rise up and sweep over the nation.
There is a cry for changing the establishment of the denomination, but I do not hear any call to repentance. Looking at the decisions of the PMA there is not repentance.
Until, I see repentance and seeking God from our leaders nothing will change. The real problem of the PCUSA is a lack of the POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, the REAL CHANGE AGENT.
More dialogue, more chats, more organizational shuffling around and more words will not stem the tide of the BIG TENT being on sinking sand and washing into the sea.
Notwithstanding the issues surrounding same-sex relationships and ordination, I feel that among many in the Church there does not exist a coherent unifying theological understanding of what it means to be Presbyterian. Even here, in a small southern Ohio town, in our local Presbyterian churches, the pulpit supply we are depending on during a pastoral search do not preach from a theological understanding of what it means to be reformed. Our local church leaders are in many ways ignorant of the importance of being grounded in our historical identity based on scripture and the confessions. There is no unifying factor in our doctrine or theological understanding….and this is at the heart of the greater denomination’s problems. None of us, it seems, are riding the same bus. As Presbyterians, we are good at publicizing our inclusiveness of women, and now LGBT persons, our consideration of science, and being open to wide range of left-leaning political views. But what we are not necessarily good at is publicizing the incredibly beautiful path to Christ the Reformed tradition exemplifies.
Blessings on you, Loren, but you are confusing how God deals with individuals and and how he deals with institutions. The Holy Spirit regenerates individuals who are dead in their sins, and we thank God for this. But the Holy Spirit did not bring regeneration to the spiritually corrupt Jewish religion of Jesus’ day. He destroyed it, and created a new community of faith in its place. And he will do the same thing to the spiritually corrupt PCUSA in our own day. There is no promise of new life for apostate religious institutions, only the prospect of judgment.
It would seem to me, too, that the Lord is hardening the PC(USA)’s collective heart in preparation for judging it. But I do not have a definitive word from Him on the matter; therefore, I will say that I would rejoice if He granted the PC(USA) repentance instead (Ezek. 18.32).
Maybe just maybe you should write in plain English! Most of what you wrote goes right over my head. Obviously there is a problem with communication within the church. PCUSA is sending out signals the God’s word can be altered to include the secular world’s views. God’s word is so very clear about marriage and almost every aspect of our lives. We as Christians must not change how God intended for us to live. We love all sinners with the hope that the Holy Spirit will change their lives. We cannot change the truth God has written to fit a sinner’s life.
If the church’s foundation does not stay grounded in truth, then it will fail! Pretty easy to understand why the PCUSA is collapsing!
Don’t know if Rada is really serious; or just grabbing some headlines. After all, the progressive, apostate, leftist wing has won every worldly battle in PCUSA–so why not, out of guilt or worry, throw some crumbs to the now captured, enslaved orthodox Presbyterians who are totally freaked out, disgusted and heartbroken. Probably just ‘window dressing’ in the wake of the leftists’ bevy of victories.
In May 2011, The Pastor in Butler PA was the first to renounce from Beaver Butler Presbytery. Since then, there has been a 18% fall in membership. He warned everyone the judgment was on the denomination. Told you So!
Can two walk together except they be agreed?
What would happen if every lay member of the Presbyterian Church(USA) had to take and pass the Bible Content Exam with a score of 90% or above just to remain a member of the church? What would this do to our churches? What would happen?
The PCUSA has been electing leaders and professionals (clergy and lay) who following a plan for fifty years that is akin to McDonald’s Restaurant consistently hiring people who make great widgets but fail at making hamburgers and other fast food. People coming to McDonald’s seeking what’s advertised (fast food) find great widgets and meager meat sandwiches. So the customer base eventually goes elsewhere for nourishment while the leadership continues to wonder where their customer base has gone.
Our current position: TL2 (too little, too late).
Eric,
What an insightful comment. More of this is needed. The first thing needed to go forward in trust is a really gracious exit policy. John
I’ll have to agree with the ‘too little, too late’ crowd. Yesterday, our congregation voted to leave the PCUSA by a +95% majority. Our reasons were based on Theology. And frankly, we no longer felt safe, much less supported in that Big Tent.
When a tent gets too big, it becomes unstable and even dangerous, and that is what the PCUSA has become. On the one hand you decry corporate greed, violence, and violations of human rights. And yet on the other hand, if a congregation wishes to leave, you rape, pillage, and plunder them and call it ‘gracious dismissal’. Your pronouncements to the nation and world don’t match your actions toward your own congregations.
As someone who has been a member of the UPC and/or PCUSA for over 40 years, and is now departing, here’s my suggestion. Decide who you are and what you believe…right now you are practicing a mixture of ‘everyone did what was right in their own eyes’. That is confusing and unsustainable. Are you an exclusive Jesus Church or something else? Is a top/down, command and control bureaucratic structure helpful or hurtful today?
On June 26th PCUSA issued this statement: “The PCUSA is celebrating the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that same-gender couples have a constitutional right to marry nationwide—”
many in the denomination are NOT Celebrating – but yet our Church declared we are!!! And Heath Rada wants trust to be restored? It is not going to happen; more flight, more churches leaving – that is the future of our church.
Dana has it right. We are at the mercy of the progressives
who have taken over the General Assembly. Look at the major
votes of 2011, 2013 and 2015. Ordination of anyone with a
temperature of 98.6, condemning Isarel and three great America companies as well as becoming the point man for the
Muslim Brotherhood. And of course, the last vote, to wed
Adam and Steve or any combination of two or three people.
That Reformation spark is contained in the phrase:
“Ecclesia reformata semper reformanda secundum verbum Dei”
The problem is, the PC(USA) has forgotten the last part of that phrase. “according to the Word of God” ..
When you expect to have people take an oath to uphold the Reformed essentials of the faith, you would expect to have something, somewhere that explains what those essentials are. Otherwise you have theological anarchy.
.
Kinda explains where the PC(USA) is today.
As a “reformed catholic” it is interesting that you are asking to institute subscriptionism – who gets to decide what I have to subscribe to in order to be a good Presbyterian? This is not a solution I would say
wed three people? what are you talking about? I have not seen anything where we are letting three people marry?
Chuck – as you know the recent changes to the book of order all came up from a Presbytery to the GA and then went back to be approved – how is this a top down model? – the changes, no matter if you like them or not, that are happening are coming the same way they always have – right?
K, I do hope that you are not so naive as to believe that the PCUSA actually works the way the Book of Order says it does. Serving as a commissioner to the Denver GA a few years back was an eye-opening experience for me in this regard (and that was a pretty calm and uneventful GA in most respects). There is the way that the PCUSA theoretically works, and then there is the way that the PCUSA actually works. If you have not yet figured this out, you need to open your eyes and be honest about what you see.
Easy question to answer, K. “Who gets to decide what I have to subscribe to in order to be a good (understood = PCUSA) Presbyterian?” Why, the PCUSA gets to decide, of course.
The reality is that all denominations are subscriptionist either formally or informally in that all of them have certain bottom-line beliefs that clergy and wannabe clergy simply are not allowed to deny. In the PCUSA an egalitarian view of the role of women is one of those bottom-line beliefs. In how many PCUSA presbyteries would a candidate be approved for ordination if he refused to subscribe to the egalitarian view of the role of women in the church? It just wouldn’t happen. Anywhere.
Denominations that have statements of their “essentials” being are open and honest about their bottom-line beliefs. Denominations that pretend not to have “essentials,” but in fact do have them, are simply being disingenuous.
Donnie Bob – what are you talking about? not clear to me. The overtures at last GA most are taking issue with (marriage) came from the presbyteries, did it not? Your answer here helps no one as I do not understand what you mean, sure others do not also
K- It’s easy to blithely say that overtures come up from Presbytery. But how does that process really work. If the Denomination really wanted to know what people in the pews think, or clergy serving in actual called positions, they could do so. Simply eliminate the property/trust clause, and stop using the Administrative Commission process for anything other than actual abuse. That would certainly change power relations and might result in a healthier conversation. How many “Specialized” Clergy and people who have been ordained but can’t get a called position vote at Presbytery and GA? People in Evangelical pews feel disenfranchised by what we see as vote-rigging.
As things now stand, Evangelical (for lack of a better term) congregations have 2 choices. Vote to leave, paying Presbytery for the property the congregation already paid for. Or, slowly shrink as members leave or die, unable to attract new members.
The denomination is losing +/- 100,000 members each year, down to 1.66 million for 2014. My guess is that membership will decline to slightly over 1.5 million at the end of the year. When you look at the demographics, it is clear that the PCUSA is hemorrhaging. It will be a trust fund baby, living off the Foundation and assets taken from departing and dying congregations.
To quote from the Book of Daniel, “Mene Mene, Tekel, Parsin.”
It came across as a slap in the face to those members of the denomination who opposed the change to the definition of marriage. One hopes it was unintentional. At a minimum, it showed a lack of humility and grace.
Hundreds of thousands of PCUSAers over the last several decades have seen exactly what I have have tried to point out to you here, and have not only seen how the PCUSA actually works, but have responded to what they have seen by packing their bags and leaving. Our friend Chuck is surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses who testify to what he has seen and who affirm what he has said.
It is a pity that you cannot see this. But there it is. Perhaps I was wrong in my initial assessment of you. As the old saying goes, there are none so blind as those who will not see.
Pax vobiscum.
On what grounds, then, would you limit marriage to two people? Just because the world has rejected the Biblical norm of one man and one woman today, why do you think it will not reject today’s new norm of two people of indiscriminate gender tomorrow, allowing for a “marriage” of three or more persons of indiscriminate gender? After all, if homosexual persons are to find their sexual fulfillment in a “marriage” to another person of the same gender, how else are bisexual persons to find their sexual fulfillment?
Chuck – I am just not with you, now you are in to a rant about property – is that your real issue? I do not think you are being tranparent with me here. Overtures come up to GA through the presbyteries – from the bottom, not the top. I suggest you have plenty of choices, you just cannot let go of your pet issues and move on, that is your problem
Donnie Bob – Only thing you must do to be a PCUSA member is profess that Jesus is your Lord and Savior. Once again you are not exactly on the issue – ordination is sought by one seeking to voluntarily affiliate with a particluar group, why would you seek affiliation as a Minister with a group that you knew did not align with your beliefs, just not a bright move?
Well, K Smith, it seems that I was right about you when I wrote earlier that “surely you are not so naive as to believe …”
After reading the many comments you have posted all over the layman.org website (in comments you have made to Robert Singer, Loren Golden, Chuck, Reformed Catholic, Donna C, and others), it is clear that you are not naive at all.
You are a TROLL. How about that!
Your disguise was actually pretty clever, at first, but after having thrown about a dozen stink bombs all over this site, it is more than clear exactly what you are.
I’ve read all kinds of comments on all kinds of different websites and I have yet to run into a PCA troll, or an EPC troll, or a ECO troll. Not a one. But PCUSA trolls are everywhere. How telling is that?
Maudit soit qui mal ici fait.
Not to worry Chuck.
K Smith is trolling the site and throwing stink bombs whenever and wherever he/she/it can.
Trolls are annoying to be sure, but most of all they are to be pitied. Finding enjoyment in causing problems for other people is deeply perverse.
I’m not worried. As with others, I thought he(?) might be serious. I feel sad for my soon to be left behind denomination, and looking forward to ECO. There should be an honest appraisal or self-assessment if you will of the PCUSA. As others have observed, all attempts begin with the premise that departing members and congregations are hate-filled, ignorant, etc…and that is a poor basis for beginning that work. Perhaps one bright spot might be that at least some people are coming to believe that theology DOES matter. If the result of our internal fights and debates is a return to Scripture and an examination of the Confessions, renewal and a new reformation is possible. And if not here, then elsewhere.
They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but the truth of the matter is that the Donnie Bob post above wasn’t written by the one, true and only Donnie Bob. Yes, Virginia, shocking but true. It seems that one of the trolls has decided to assume my identity and write a spoof. I would have to admit that it was actually fairly well done. I hope that he had fun doing it. I just wish that he would learn how to spell correctly before he tries to do it again. Trollbanes are very picky about such things, you know.
What would happen if all ordained clergy in the PCUSA were required to accept and adhere to Scripture and our Confessions?